


Today isn't your day is it?

by agentnnorth



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Gerudo Link (Legend of Zelda), Growing up Gerudo, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Maybe some well-meaning kidnapping, Nabooru has no time for any of this, Protective Ganon, Time has engaged Dad Mode™, ganondad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26533702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentnnorth/pseuds/agentnnorth
Summary: “So, there’s some big scary evil out there and the goddess Hylia” – Link rolled his eyes – “decided to gather you all together to stop whatever it is?”“Umm, yes?”“If this is all true, then the Dragmire needs to know about it.”The Heroes looked at each other confused."Dragmire?"The other Link gave them an unimpressed look. “You don’t know who the Dragmire is?"He got blank faces in return.“You know, Ganon, the King of the Gerudo! Does that ring a bell?"--------------------An AU that's based on two other AUs: 'Linked Universe' and 'Growing Up Gerudo'
Comments: 32
Kudos: 249





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/  
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/

They had shifted between Hyrules again. This was the fifth time this week alone, at least they think it’s been a week. It gets difficult to keep track of time when you’re flung between different eras at a random notice. They had been making their way through a forest in Twilight’s Hyrule, having cleaned out a monster lair for the nearby village when a portal opened up beneath their feet causing them to land harshly onto the side of a sand dune. Time and Wild were the first to pull themselves out of the sand. Time gave a quick glance to the rest of the group to make sure everyone was okay before surveying the landscape. They were in the middle of a desert region that much was obvious with only patches of cactus and dry shrub to break up the endless sea of sand

“Don’t suppose anyone recognises where we are?”

A chorus of ‘no’s and ‘nah’s was all he got back. So, they were in a middle of the desert that no one recognised or a new Hyrule then which generally meant a new hero if going by previous patterns.

“Hey, guys I can see some sort of village from here!” They looked towards Wild who had made his way up the dune and was now leaning over the crest of it, using his Sheikah slate to get a better look. “It looks Gerudo, some of the buildings look like the ones from my Hyrule.”

Everyone scrambled up the dune to get a view of the settlement. From their vantage point, they could see that the place was made up red coloured tents scattered throughout stone buildings. Tiny blobs moved about indicating the place was occupied. Wild yelped as the slate was yanked out of his hands and turned to glare at Legend who was now holding it to get his own look.

“Guess we send in Wild and see what the deal is? Find out what’s going on?”

“Might not be a good idea,” Time chimed in, grabbing the slate from Legend and giving it back to Wild. “I can’t see signs of any other races like in Wild’s Hyrule” – he turned to face the rest of the group – “and the Gerudo aren’t known to be very welcoming which means we _all_ stay clear of the place.” He gave a pointed look to Wild and Warriors.

“Then we head for Central Hyrule? Find some other village to and figure out what’s going on?” Hyrule asked.

“There’s enough supplies to make it out of the desert if we ration them,” Four called out from where he was digging through the travel bags, “Though we’re a little short on water…”

“I’ve got some frozen hydromelons stored away in the slate, we can use them if we run out of water,” assured Wild.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Time. He began to make his way down the dune, the others following. He stopped and seem to think for a moment. “We’ll move this way, for now, its nearly night and I don’t want the smoke from any fire we light to alert the Gerudo or whatever is living in that settlement.”

It wasn’t long before they spotted a small grove of trees with slabs of rock dotted throughout, perfect to set up and camp and far enough not to be seen by any Gerudo. A unanimous vote decided that this is where they would set up camp for the night. After a hasty meal, courtesy of Wild, the group settled down for the night with Legend volunteering to take the first watch.

**¤¤¤**

Twilight woke to the sound of unknown footsteps moving softly across their makeshift camp – sometimes it paid off to have wolf-like hearing even if it meant staying awake half the night listening to Sky’s snores – and watched as a figure draped in various capes with a yellow Keaton mask riffled through Hyrule’s travel pack. Twilight kept his eyes on the figure as his hand crept towards the dagger he always had nearby and grasped the hilt. In a quick motion, he flung the dagger towards the would-be-thief. Keaton Mask – as Twilight dubbed him in his head – shot up from their crouched position, just as Twilight threw the dagger, and rolled out of the way, crashing into Warriors who let out a shout.

The camp descended into chaos shortly afterwards.

Legend came sprinting back from his watch position, sword already drawn. Meanwhile, everyone else has clambered from their bedrolls, swords out – or in the case of Wild, a bow – and pointed towards Keaton Mask. Said thief had jumped away from Warriors and unsheathed the scimitars that had been hanging from their hip, holding them between themself and the group of Heroes. Tim took a careful step forward, not taking his eyes off of Keaton Mask.

“Okay, this may just be a misunderstanding. Lower your weapon, return whatever you stole from that pack and you can be on your way.”

“Like I can trust you Hylians to keep your word,” Keaton Mask drawled, “You’ll probably just skewer me with one of your swords the minute I turn my back.”

“I promise you, we won’t.” Time took another step forward. “We’re just a bunch of travellers that got lost and don’t want any trouble, promise.”

“Ha! Like any Hylian would be caught dead wandering the desert, especially this close to Gerudo Town.” Keaton mask gripped their scimitars tighter. “You’re either the worst spies that the Hylian King has ever sent or some the best actors I have ever met.”

Keaton Mask rushed forward and took a swipe at Time who side-stepped just in time to avoid getting a slash across his stomach. Wild loosened an arrow but the thief deflected it with their sword and tossed a throwing knife in return, hitting Wild in the shoulder. Four, Hyrule, and Legend advanced, aiming to flank Keaton Mask. They moved in to attack only for Keaton Mask to flip out of the way causing both Legend and Four to crash into each other and Hyrule to stumble over them.

At the same moment, the thief parried an attack from Warriors but couldn’t move quickly enough to avoid a shallow strike to their leg from Time. They hopped backwards and grasped their bleeding leg. Twilight pushed forward, using his brute strength to throw both him and Keaton Mask, who lost his grip one of his swords, to the ground. Wind kicked away the fallen scimitar out of reach. Twilight raised his sword and slammed the pommel of it onto the thief’s mask, shattering it. The hood fell backwards from the force and everyone froze when they caught a glimpse of the boy underneath it.

He looked like a slightly older version of Wind only with more tanned skin and blond hair done up in typical Gerudo fashion with a small green gem set in a gold circlet. Even with the striking resemblance to the rest of the group, there was that feeling that came whenever they met a new hero. It was like coming home, a sense of belonging. It was knowing, with every fibre in each of their bodies, that the boy standing across from them was _family_.

It was with little doubt that they had found this Hyrule’s reincarnation of the Hero.

Twilight pulled himself off of the new Hero but the boy stayed on the ground, staring at the shattered remains of his mask. He began to grab desperately at the pieces of his broken mask, a quiet chanting of _‘no no no’_ was all the other Heroes could hear.

Sky carefully approached, palms of his hands facing forward in an ‘ _I’m not going to harm you_ ’ gesture. “Hey, it’s okay we can fix that, don’t worry. We’re sorry we attacked you, it’s just you know when you spot someone trying to steal… well one thing leads to another and then –”

A throwing knife quickly put an end to Sky’s rant who jumped back startled and clutched his now bleeding cheek. The boy moved swiftly afterwards, going straight for Twilight, an ugly snarl on his face. Warriors and Time moved at once, each grabbing an arm to hold the boy back. The quickly pulled his other scimitar away and what threw away any other knives they could find.

“Woah! Sky just said we weren’t going to hurt you, that usually implies that you do the same for us!” Warriors grunted from the elbow to his stomach but held on tightly. Damn, this kid was strong. The boy struggled some more, growling and spitting out curses in Gerudo before going completely slack with a huff.

“Look listen, your name is Link right?” The boy’s widening eyes was enough of a confirmation for Time. “This is going to sound crazy but we’re reincarnations of you or more precisely of the Hero spirit, throughout different stages of Hyrule’s time.”

Link, the new Link, began to struggle again in Time and Warriors grasp, “You’re all nuts! I’m not the Hero or some reincarnation of the Hero, this is just some Hylian trick.” The new Link managed to turn his head just enough to bite Warriors hand who immediately let go, he then turned around and kneed Time in the stomach and freed himself. He ran straight for Sky and shouldered past him, spinning around quick enough to grab the sword from his back.

Several things happened at once.

Sky yelled as he reached for the Master Sword. Wind and Wild went to grab the new Link at the same time, Legend snatched Wild’s discarded bow and notched an arrow, ready to fire in case the boy tried to run. Four, Twilight, Warriors, and Hyrule surrounded him as Time shouted for everyone to down.

Link was oblivious to all this, eyes focused solely on the Master Sword. It was warm in his hands. Not warm like the metal of his sword whenever he left one of them out in the desert sun or like the warmth from the smithing forge when he visited Virdi. No, this warmth reminded him of when he was younger and small enough that his papa could pick him up and hold him in one hand. It was the warmth he felt whenever his mama was proud of him during training drills. It was a successful raid with Sheik and spreading the spoils among his brother and sisters, seeing the youngers kids light up in delight when they got toys. It felt like _home_.

The sword began whispering to him then, telling him stories. Of tales that have not yet happen and stories long forgotten, ones that happened thousands of years ago. He saw flashes of a wolf with dark fur running through a field, of a massive city floating in the sky, of what looked like a huge mechanical creature clambering over ruins. In the background of all this, he could music playing softly and he swears he has heard it before.

“Okay.” The heroes startled as the boy spoke. “Say I believe you and you’re really from another universe or whatever, which by the way sounds completely insane, why are you here?”

It was Warriors who spoke first, “We’re not quite sure yet but we do know that Hylia” – the boy snorted at the mention of the goddess – “gathered us together to defeat a great evil that threatens all of our universes because we possess the spirit of the Hero.”

“So, there’s some big scary evil out there and the goddess _Hylia_ ” – he rolled his eyes – “decided to gather the Heroes from all these different universes to stop whatever it is?”

“Umm, yes?”

Link nodded his head and looked over the group. Each one of them looked so similar to him, they could brothers in another life, but there was something wrong – not necessarily in a bad way – about each one. Just like they didn’t belong here. With some reluctance, he threw Master Sword back to Sky and began to pick up the pieces of his broken mask and placed them carefully in his sack. He fully stood up and regarded the group.

“If this is true, then the Dragmire needs to know about it.”

Time froze at the mention of Dragmire, thinking he heard wrong. There is no way _he_ would knowingly let the Spirit of the Hero live. Yet here was the Hero speaking and dressing like a Gerudo, speaking of _him_ as if they were familiar with each other. This must be some plan to turn the Hero against Hyrule or maybe _he_ already has. Or maybe _he_ doesn’t know that Link is the Hero, perhaps the spirit has yet to reveal itself but if that was the case the– 

“Who or what is a Dragmire?” Sky asked.

Link gave them an unimpressed look. “You don’t know who the Dragmire is? He’s the king of the Gerudo!” He was met with more blank stares except for the man with the strange tattoos and a missing eye. He looked slightly horrified and Link was glad that someone in this idiot group realised the seriousness of Hylians trespassing on Gerudo soil, even if they were Heroes from different universes.

“You know, Ganon, the King of the Gerudo! Does that ring a bell for anyone?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/  
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/ (it's also on Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/growing-up-gerudo/list?title_no=245292

The group was quick to descend into silence after that piece of information. A few moments past before shouts and accusations began to be thrown around. Time watched Link throughout it all. The little Gerudo hero – and Hylia he was _small_ , just a few inches taller than Wind – had a fire in his eyes as listened to the others curse Ganon’s name. His hands were curled into tight fists, knuckles gone white with the strain.

“QUIET!” Time yelled before another fight could break out.

“Time, he’s talking about Ganon,” Twilight stressed as he pulled at his hair, “The Ganon. You know? King of Evil, he’s-”

“That’s just lies spread by your king so everyone thinks we’re just a bunch of thieves and cutthroats,” Link interrupted “If it wasn’t for D-

“Look,” Time interrupted and looked at the other Heroes, ignoring Link for a moment, “We don’t know anything about this Hyrule, maybe this Ganon isn’t the one we know of and we should hold any judgments until we meet him”

However, if this Hyrule’s Ganon was the same as every other one, then Time was going to take this Link as far away as possible from his manipulations. Even if he had to drag him kicking and screaming.

Time turned back towards Link.

“We’ve started off on the wrong foot. Let me introduce ourselves. I’m Time. That’s Sky, Hyrule, Warriors, Legend, Wind, Twilight, Wild, and Four,” He pointed to each hero as he called out their name, “We’d be honoured to meet the Dragmire.”

Link watched all of them for a moment, Time could see his ears twitching slightly. He seemed to be debating internally with himself. He eventually closed his eyes and sighed, as if he was steeling himself, before opening his eyes again, a look of determination in them. The same look Legend or Wild got when they were about to do something particularly stupid and headache-inducing.

“He’s at the outpost right now, I’ll bring you there.”

“That’s an outpost?” Wild asked.

“Well yeah? Do you think we’d leave our city out for everyone to see? In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of people, especially you lot, don’t particularly like us.”

And with that, the other Link turned and started heading back towards the encampment they saw when they first arrived in this Hyrule. Time gave a small nod and quick command to the others to pack up their equipment quickly before hurrying after the new Hero. He could tell that it was going to be a long day and it hadn’t even begun.

**¤¤¤**

“Link, where have you been? Your father and I have been looking everywhere for you,” A familiar voice shouted as they entered the outpost. Time turned towards the noise and froze. Nabooru was running down the main path of the compound, scimitar in hand.

Time was still reeling from learning that Nabooru was here to truly comprehend that she was a mother to Link. She always felt like a big sister, calling him ‘kid’ and teasing him whenever he met her as a chile. And while it wasn’t unusual for their group to see other versions of the people, they knew from their own Hyrules in other Hyrules, it still caught him off guard every time.

“Mom! I found these Hylians wandering the desert,” Link waved at Nabooru as she approached, “They have information for dad.”

There was a choked off gasp from within the group – it sounded like Twilight – as they processed that titbit of information. Dad. He was referring to Ganon as _dad_ and Nabooru as _mom_. Time couldn’t imagine the Ganon he faced as a father, much less a father to a reincarnation of the Hero of Courage. Before anyone could say something completely inappropriate that would result in their imprisonment or even death, Nabooru stepped up towards them.

Time noticed that she positioned herself slightly in front of Link.

“So, you have information that my son deems necessary to bring forth to the Dragmire, information so important that he brings you into our outpost without any regard for the safety of our brothers and sisters.” She cast a scalding look towards Link, who hid his face in shame, the tips of his ears gone red.

She gave all of them a once over. There was something tight in her expression as her gaze travelled over the group and it wasn’t until it landed on Time that that expression turned into something sad, it was gone before Time could even begin to think about it. She looked towards their hands next, or more precisely their left hand which bore the scar of the Triforce. That tight look returned.

“I’ll escort you to the tent.”

With that, Nabooru turned around and marched back to where she came from. Link gave them a two-finger salute and followed. Time looked towards the other Heroes, who still seemed not to be over the latest revelation, shrugged his shoulders, and began to follow as well. He caught up to the other two but held himself slightly back and listened to the hushed conversation that was taking place in front of him.

“What happened to your mask?”

“The one with the dumb markings and fur coat broke it.”

“I see. Want me to deal with it?”

“Nah, he’ll probably die of sunstroke soon, who wears a getup like that to the desert anyway?”

Well, hushed was maybe the wrong word to use, it seems that this Hyrule’s Link suffered from the same affliction of whisper-shouting that Sky had. It also didn’t help that the one Link was accusing could hear them perfectly with his wolf hearing. Time sighed internally and sent a quick prayer to Hylia. He could see a future of playing referee to these two.

**¤¤¤**

Link did his best to ignore the glares he could feel burning into his back and stuck close to his mother, not that he’d admit that he was wary of these so-called Heroes but it never hurt to be cautious. His mother leads them to his father’s tent that was set up in the middle of the outpost. His dad would probably be having his midday meal. By the goddesses, has he been up all night? He needed some sleep soon.

“Wait here with them will you Link? I’ll inform the Dragmire of what’s happening.” His mother commanded as they stopped outside the tent.

With that she left him, disappearing into the tent. Link turned around to the group, only for the guy with the strange pink locket of hair to be right behind him, a nasty glare on his face. He thinks Tattoo guy called him Legend. If Midna was here she would be making fun of him for always forgetting names, especially the important ones.

“Why didn’t you tell us that Ganon was your father?” Maybe-Legend accused, jabbing a finger into Link’s chest as soon as they were alone.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I didn’t want a bunch of potential Hylian spies to know that I was the son of the Dragmire,” Link pushes Legend away from him, “Sorry I didn’t trust a group of strangers to tell them that.”

“We’re not strangers though, we’re reincarnations of the Hero and so are you,” The one that was maybe called Sky said. “And Ganon… well he’s the reincarnation of Demise, the Demon King.”

“There you go again with the whole reincarnation and dad is ‘evil’ thing,” Link threw up his arms in frustration, “Pretty sure the evilest thing dad has done was kidnap the princess but he gave her back after like a month.”

“WHAT?”

_‘Okay, so not the best example’,_ Link thought. He runs his hand down his face and let out a sigh. All he wanted to do was go to his bed, ideally with Midna, and forget this whole day existed. He regrets following that internal pull that lead him to this insane group. And then he brought them back to the outpost, not even thinking about the consequences of doing so. There was just that insistent ‘ _yes, yes, yes_ ’ that made the plan seem so smart. It was the same insistent _‘go, go, go_ ’ that woke him up and brought him to their little camp.

The tent flap lifted before any of them could interrogate him on the whole ‘kidnapping the Princess’ thing. His mother beckoned them in, that same tight expression on her face from before. He made a mental note to ask what was wrong later. He walked into the tent and the smell of the heavy incense that his dad always lit welcomed him. He felt the tension that had been in his shoulders since this whole thing started to begin to melt away.

While Link would always argue that he was old enough to be given more responsibility, he could admit to himself that it was comforting to have his dad there to take over sometimes.

He bounded up to the low table beside his father and stole a slice of sugared voltfruit from it and then proceeded to join him on the many cushions that littered the ground. His dad raised an eyebrow at him and shoved a small bowl of creamy soup towards him before turning his gaze slowly on the Hylians.

The atmosphere felt stilted and awkward, to say the least. They all kept standing and the leader, Tattoo guy, refused to break his staring competition with dad. Link smirked into his bowl. Dad always hated it when people try to assert dominance over him with a look or a glare. Why anyone thinks they could get a Gerudo, much less the chief of the Gerudo to submit with only a gaze was beyond him. He also noted that the others in the group formed a loose protective semi-circle behind their leader, with the youngest two between them.

The solider guy and pink guy kept looking around, surveying the tent and everyone in it. The guy with all the scars kept fidgeting, shifting his weight from foot to foot and just generally looking uncomfortable. The idiot who broke his mask – he shudders at the thought of telling Zelda about it – stood still with only ears twitching now and again. They were all tense, weapon hands tensing and relaxing repeatedly.

If they even thought to harm his family, Link would put them down himself.

“My General tells me you have information of a threat to my people, to all of Hyrule,” his dad sat straighter on his cushion, pulling his shoulders back to show off his impressive height even while sitting, “Tell me, why should I even entertain the thought of listening to you? What reason could you possibly give that would stop me from throwing you out into the desert to die right this moment?”

Mask-breaker broke from his stillness and opened his mouth to say something but Tattoo guy held up his hand without even glancing back. Mask-breaker closed his mouth and instead just choose to glare at his father.

“Your…” Tattoo guy paused for a moment, “Grace, we have been tasked with defeating a great evil that has been terrorising Hyrule by creating stronger and smarter monsters. I’m sure you’ve encountered some already, ones who are significantly harder to kill than they use to be, and that also bleed black blood.”

“There have been reports of monsters bleeding black blood and we’ve already lost an experienced warrior to them,” His mother answered.

That was news to him. Why didn’t his parents tell him of this before? He could have helped. He didn’t train for years to be a warrior or participate in countless raids to still be coddled by his parents when it came to helping out his people.

“And who gave this task?” His father asked, interrupting his train of thought.

“The goddess Hylia,” The solider guy answered. “And it is the same task that has been given to you… er, son.”

His father tensed at that. His hands clenched on his lap, the same way they always do when he’s trying to control his anger. From the corner of his eye, he could see his mom grip the scimitar at her hip and take a step forward. As for Link himself, he thought it a massive joke. That the goddess Hylia would choose him for some holy mission was just unbelievable sounding. That kind of stuff only happened to Hero of Courage. Zelda told him so.

_‘But they said you were one of them,’_ a tiny, traitorous voice whispered in his head, _‘that would make you one of the Chosen Heroes._ ’

_‘Shut up,’_ Link thought back.

“You dare tell me that _Hylia,_ ” Dad spoke the Goddess’ name like a curse, “demands my son put his life in danger? And why would he be tasked with such a thing? He is Gerudo, He is my _son_ , and your Goddess has never held any love for my people.”

The solider guy went to respond but Tattoo guy beat him to it.

“He is Hylia’s Chosen Hero as I’m sure you know already. He shares the same mark as we all do, the Triforce, I saw your general looking at them when we first met. We are Heroes from across different Hyrules, all brought together for this mission and now that includes your son.”

He raised his left hand as he spoke and Link could see a faint outline of a triangle-shaped scar, the same scar that was etched onto his own left hand. The one that his father always chose to ignore or changed the conversation whenever Link brought it up.

“She spoke to you, didn’t she? The Master Sword I mean,” the one who he thought was called Sky asked, “I know she did, you had that same look on your face that we all did when she first spoke to us.”

He pulled the sword from its sheath, ignoring Link’s mother pulling her own in response. He held the sword carefully in his hands and stretched them out towards Link. Again, Link felt that pull that brought him to their camp and he couldn’t deny that the sword did speak to or more precisely showed him memories. Memories that were now fuzzy but still felt familiar. The same voice from before was now whispering again.

_‘Go, go, go.’_

It was only until he noticed a dull pain and looked down that his father was gripping his arm. It was then that realized that he tried to move towards the sword. His father pulled him back down but didn’t let go of him.

“You will leave this place immediately and never come back. If you do, you will be killed on sight. Do I make myself clear?”

“Even if you throw us out, Hylia will only drag him with us when we move between worlds again,” Tattoo guy said, taking a step forward, “Best he comes with us now so we don’t lose him between shifts. You don’t want to be the reason your son is killed because you refused to see the truth, do you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Sorry for the long wait. This week was my first week back to college and its been pretty hectic to say the least! And sorry again for not responding to any comments, I didn't get the chance. But just know that I loved each and every one of them and I'm so thankful that ye wrote them! I promise to respond to any comments from now on.
> 
> And thanks to everyone who subscribed, bookmarked or gave a kudos. You guys are amazing and I'm delighted that ye enjoyed the story!
> 
> As always, credit to the original creators of LU and Growing Up Gerudo. I couldn't have written this fic without them so please show them some love!
> 
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/  
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/ (it's also on Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/growing-up-gerudo/list?title_no=245292


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!
> 
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/  
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/

You could cut the tension in the tent with a knife.

At least Link thought he could. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as if they were afraid that a single soft sigh would shift the stiff atmosphere into a fight. Link could feel the burning anger and _hatred_ radiating off of his dad. He tried to subtly shift slightly away but the hand on his arm tightened, stopping him from going any further. He always got a twisting ache in his stomach whenever his dad got this particularly angry, not that it was ever directed at him or that his dad would ever hurt him.

The Tattoo guy was talking again and _‘Goddesses, did he ever shut up?’_ Link thought. He was only digging his own grave deeper at this stage. Whatever hope the others had of making it out of this conversation with their lives intact, their leader did not share it.

His dad and Tattoo guy were arguing with each other now, well more like shouting at one another. He could see that the other Hylians were getting anxious, some had even their hands on their weapons. Behind him, he could feel the tension rolling off of his mom. He vaguely registered his dad letting go of his arm and standing.

He wishes he could pay attention and help his father but he was too busy focusing on what Tattoo guy said, that he would be dragged with them whenever they moved between worlds.

That couldn’t be true, could it?

Magic was real and it was powerful, that much he knew, but it wasn’t powerful enough to transcend between worlds, he was sure of it. Midna though, she causally moved between the Twilight Realm and here so what’s stopping them from doing the same thing? But surely, moving between realms was nothing when compared to moving between worlds. One would require much more magic than the other unless what Tattoo guy said was true and that Hylia was the one pushing them from one world to the next. And if Hylia was behind it, then how could he stop himself from being pulled along for the ride.

You can’t fight the will of a goddess no matter how hard you try. There’s plenty of stories warning you not to unless you wanted to face their wrath. Zelda would always scold him whenever he made fun of those stories.

If what they were saying was true and he was pulled with them to a different Hyrule, what then? He wasn’t going to follow a bunch of Ganon-hating Hylians. It wouldn’t be long before he ended up trying to seriously maim one of them and while he was no novice when it came to combat, he doubted his ability to take all of them on at once. Their first encounter proved that he couldn’t.

_‘Go, go, go.’_

So maybe a tiny, _totally_ insignificant part of him did want to go with these Hylians, he could admit that much to himself.

While the Gerudo have always felt like family and he would gladly claim himself as one, he couldn’t deny the small part of him that said he didn’t belong. He still remembers his childhood where his skin would burn where no one else’s would, how he always had to wear much more protection against the desert sun. His hair was a mess of bright gold locks while everyone else had red locks. His eyes were a startling blue when compared to the normal green and gold hues the Gerudo possessed. And of course, he was still teased for the special treatment his dad always gave him.

He could still remember Sika calling him a ‘freak’ and telling him he had no right to be here.

Maybe these guys, if they _really_ were past versions of himself, felt the same way? Like they didn’t belong either.

No.

He shook his head to get rid of that train of thought. Now wasn’t the best time for a life crisis. He just wanted to go back to Gerudo Town and to be done with this day. Honestly, he must have done something awful in a past life to deserve this.

Okay, stupid thought considering the situation.

He tuned back into the argument when he noticed that his dad had stepped away from him and was pointing his sword at Tattoo guy.

There was plenty of time to panic later.

“If you insist on spitting lies from your foul mouth then I shall simply cut your tongue from it,” his dad threatened, “Maybe then, that will silence you.”

Yeah, he really should have paid more attention.

Tattoo guy had pulled his own sword out, a long blade with a blue hilt and leather-bound grip, but kept his guard low. The other Hylians had copied him and also had their weapons ready. Link scrambled to get his twin scimitars that he had left down on the floor earlier. He would be damned if he left himself unarmed when this inevitably turned into a fight.

“What’s your plan Ganon? Did you just take this Link in the hopes of using him for your own gain?” Maybe-Legend guy demanded, “Do you honestly think you’ll get away with it? Are you so cocky that you aren’t afraid you’ll wake up a sword through your chest? I heard it’s a good look on yo- “

Link doesn’t remember moving but one moment his beside his dad and in the next, he has one of his swords at the Hylian’s neck. He debates on pushing forward just enough to cut the damn bastard’s throat open. He’s just _angry_. Angry at the whole situation. Angry at every non-Gerudo think his dad is the next evil incarnate. And how dare this dirty Hylian imply that his father is using him or even suggest that Link would betray him.

They know nothing.

“Don’t you ever,” he slightly leaned his weight into the sword and watched with dark satisfaction as a bead of blood appeared, “ _ever_ say shit like that again.”

“Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?” Maybe-Legend snarled, “Going to kill me? Some freaking Hero you turned out to be.”

“Is asking questions all you do? And shut up about all that damn Hero shit, I’m no Hero of Courage and I’m not some Chosen One so shut up!”

“Link, get back here now!”

Link ignored his father and kept glaring at the Hylian.

“LINK!”

“They’ve done nothing but badmouth you all day, claiming that you’re a reincarnation of some evil demon king and now they come in here and claim that you’re just using me and honestly, I’m sick of it!”

A rumbling starts up beneath him and he glances down only to watch in horror as the ground tears itself apart under his feet. He’s panicking, he knows this because he can’t move any of his limbs, can’t push himself away from whatever is happening.

In his panic, he can just about hear that voice softly whispering ‘ _safe, safe, safe_ ’.

Black and purple smoke begins to dance up around him in spirals and for just a moment he suspended in the air. He can make out a forest in the tear, lush, and green and so very different from the desert they are in now. He yanks his gaze from it and looks towards his parents.

“Dad?”

He begins falling.

**¤¤¤**

Ganon watches as a portal made of swirling purples and blacks opened up beneath his son and the others. There was a split second where everything seemed to hold still, like the world itself was holding its breath waiting with rapt attention for what was about to happen next.

There is a buzzing sound in his ear. His skin felt too tight. That dark, _dark,_ essence that sometimes pooled behind his eyes when he was truly angry and on the verge of losing control, practically sings at the look of horror and fear on his son’s face.

“Dad?”

Ganon shoots forward, his hand outstretched towards his son as he falls through the portal with the other Heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oo boy this was a doozy to write! I think I wrote three different versions before I settled on this one? 😅
> 
> Also to anyone who's looking for more Ganondad, there's a fantastic fic by Glau called 'Adopting the Enemy'. I would def recommend, especially if you like a feral Link. You can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26049073/chapters/63349246
> 
> A massive thank you to everyone who's read, commented, bookmarked and subscribed! ❤️
> 
> As always, please check out the original creators of these AUs!
> 
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/  
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/ (it's also on Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/growing-up-gerudo/list?title_no=245292)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey to everyone who made it to this point!! Hopefully you liked the story so far! This is my first time writing something that even closely resembles a story since 2016 so sorry for any rustiness/mistakes, I'm out of practise 😅 Also I find it difficult to write dialogue, so if it seems stiff to you in some places let me know so I can fix it (Worse thing about where I live is the insane amount colloquialisms we have that make absolutely no sense to anyone, makes it hard to write dialogue sometimes ya know...)
> 
> Let me know what you think!! And please check out the AUs this story is based on, they're absolutely amazing,, I couldn't recommend better comics 
> 
> Linked Universe: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/  
> Growing Up Gerudo: https://growingupgerudo.tumblr.com/ (it's also on Webtoons: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/growing-up-gerudo/list?title_no=245292)


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